President Obama elaborated on his claim that a Supreme Court ruling against Obamacare would be “unprecedented,” as he suggested today that the court does not take its responsibilities “seriously” if they do.
“We have not seen a court overturn a law that was passed by Congress, on a economic issue, like healthcare — like I think most people would clearly consider commerce — a law like that has not been overturned at least since Lochner [vs New York, 1905],” Obama told reporters during the question-and-answer session of the Associated Press luncheon.
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He was responding to a questioner who had disputed his suggestion that a ruling against the law would be “unprecedented.” The questioner noted “that’s exactly what the court has done through it’s entire existence.”
“The point that I was making is that the Supreme Court is the final say on our Constitituon and our laws, and all of us have to respect it,” Obama said. “But it precisely because of that extraordinary power that the court has trad exercise significant restraint” when considering laws passed on the basis of the Commerce Clause.
“We’re not spending a bunch of time planning for contingencies,” Obama said. “I dont anticipate the court striking this down,” he explained. “I think they take their responsibilites very seriously.”
